Places to visit in Bangor, led by Bangor Abbey
Among the places to visit in and near Bangor are 7 museums, 2 abbeys or priories and 2 theme parks. There are 5 places to visit inside Bangor’s settlement, and 9 more within 5 km of its edge. Inside 1 km of the middle lie 4 of them. Carrickfergus Castle is worth a day, 11 km from the centre.
Leading places in Bangor
Beyond Bangor Abbey, there are 2 museums, a castle and a theme park.
Abbey or prioryBangor Abbeyin town
CastleBangor Castlein townMuseumMuseumNorth Down Museumin townTheme parkTheme parkPickie Fun Parkin townZooZooWard Park Aviaryin town
MuseumUlster Folk and Transport Museum4.8 km outside town, to the westEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The places, mapped
At the edge of the map sits Folk Galleries, 8.6 km out.
The dashed line is Bangor’s settlement; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · NISRA settlement development limit 2015
How the list breaks down
Museums or galleries are the biggest group (7), then castles or historic places (4).
Green: inside Bangor. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
All of it
The 5 inside Bangor come first, then 9 more within 5 km of its edge.
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
Railway museum in Northern Ireland.
7Somme Heritage Centre
Military museum in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
9The 5 inside Bangor come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
93 listed buildings and 3 scheduled monuments are on Bangor’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Bangor →
Beyond Bangor
First of the 12 big names within reach is Carrickfergus Castle, 11 km away.
CastleCarrickfergus Castle11 km northwest
Historic houseStormont Castle12 km southwest
Historic shipSS Nomadic17 km west
Historic houseBelfast Castle18 km west
CathedralSt Anne's Cathedral, Belfast18 km westHistoric houseHistoric house · National TrustMount Stewart12 km south
GardenBotanic Gardens19 km southwestCathedralCathedralSt Peter's Cathedral19 km west
Historic shipHMS Caroline16 km west
PalaceHillsborough Castle35 km southwestMuseumMuseumUlster Museum19 km southwest
Castle · National TrustCastle Ward32 km southPlaces well known beyond Bangor (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Questions before you go to Bangor
What are the main attractions in Bangor?
The best known inside Bangor’s settlement are Bangor Abbey, Bangor Castle, North Down Museum and Pickie Fun Park. In all, 5 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 9 more within 5 km.
Does Bangor have a museum?
7 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Bangor: North Down Museum, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Somme Heritage Centre and War Years Remembered.
Is there a National Trust property near Bangor?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Mount Stewart (National Trust), 12 km south.
What are the best-known days out near Bangor?
Within 40 km: Carrickfergus Castle (11 km), Stormont Castle (12 km), SS Nomadic (17 km), Belfast Castle (18 km).
Where are Bangor’s historic buildings listed?
Bangor has 93 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade A. They are on its History page, from the Department for Communities’ Historic Environment Division’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Bangor when it is inside NISRA’s settlement development limit, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in NISRA’s Settlement Development Limits 2015 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (14)
- Bangor Abbey: Andrew Muir from Bangor, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bangor Castle: MartinRobinson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ulster Folk and Transport Museum: NearEMPTiness, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Grey Point Fort: Albert Bridge, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Priory of Saint Columba: Dennis Reynolds, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carrickfergus Castle: Stewart, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stormont Castle: Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- SS Nomadic: Irid Escent, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Belfast Castle: Portwilliamborn, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast: The original uploader was Stuart at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Botanic Gardens: Robert Young, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- HMS Caroline: Surgeon Oscar Parkes, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hillsborough Castle: Kenneth Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castle Ward: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.